1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to the field of safety body garments in general and in particular to an adjustable safety garment for use with a fall arresting harness.
2. Technical Background
In cases where an individual is engaging in activity at an elevation, sitting or standing on a support, it is common to wear a harness on the upper body and to tether the upper part of the harness to a fixed object. If the support fails, the individual will fall only a short distance and be suspended from the fixed object, thereby avoiding injury from a fall to the ground. A particular well known use includes a hunter elevated above the ground on a tree stand, tethered to the tree with a harness worn around the upper torso.
Safety harnesses combined with garments are known. These safety garments are designed to overcome the inconvenience of a harness which has many loops and straps, having a tendency to become twisted and entangled with one another. It can be relatively time consuming and tedious putting on the harness. When the harness is inside, outside, or between inner and outer layers of a garment, putting on the harness is as easy as putting on a jacket.
A problem with safety garments having harnesses fixedly attached therein or thereon is that they are difficult to adjust to a user""s body. These garments require access to buckles inside the garment which have to be adjusted by trial and error to get a suitable fit. Often these are somewhat complicated buckle and snap systems. In some cases, adjusting the harness twists the garment making the garment uncomfortable to wear. These drawbacks have prevented the widespread use of a combined safety harness garment. The present invention provides a simple harness arrangement in a garment which is rapidly adjustable externally, does not distort the shape or position of the garment after adjustment, and does not compress a user""s diaphragm when a user is suspended in the harness. The present invention also fulfills the need to conveniently put on a harness quickly and simply.
The present invention is a safety garment which comprises a garment having a safety harness fixed to the inside or outside of the garment or between the inner and outer layers of the garment. The harness has one or more vertical back straps and vertical shoulder straps. Each of these vertical straps has a plurality of loops, preferably two. This harness can be attached to the garment, but preferably, is attached between the inner and outer layers of the garment. The loops in the vertical straps are, preferably at the level of the chest and waist. A first horizontal strap is inserted slidably through the loops at the level of the chest and a second horizontal strap is inserted slidably through the loops at the level of the waist. One end of the horizontal strap is slidably attached to a clip and the other end is fixed to a clasp. The horizontal straps extend around the upper body of a user and the clip is inserted reversibly into the clasp to form a buckle external to the garment. The circumference of the horizontal straps around the upper body of the user is adjusted by pulling one end of the horizontal strap through the clip portion of the buckle. The horizontal position of the buckles at the front of the garment can be adjusted as desired by sliding the horizontal straps to the left or right as desired, thus preventing the garment from twisting or becoming deformed after adjusting of the horizontal straps. The horizontal straps can easily slide freely to the left or right because they are not attached to the harness or the garment. Nevertheless, the combination of the harness and horizontal straps provide excellent support and protection when a user is suspended. The top of the vertical back strap has a loop to attach a tether or lanyard for connection to a supporting object. The bottom of the vertical back strap also has a loop to attach a tether for towing an object.
An advantage of the present invention is a horizontally adjustable safety garment.
Another advantage of the present invention is a reversible safety garment.
Another advantage of the present invention are horizontal straps which slide freely through the garment.
Another advantage of the present invention are buckles positioned external to the garment.
Another advantage of the present invention are loops for tethering at the top and bottom of the garment.
Another advantage of the present invention is a safety harness attached to a garment between the inner and outer layers of the garment, thereby simplifying attaching the harness to the upper body of a user.